The Playlist Behind the Pass: Why Restaurant Kitchens Run on Music, Not Just Fire
The Playlist Behind the Pass: Why Restaurant Kitchens Run on Music, Not Just Fire
The dining room is quiet now. Chairs flipped. Lights dimmed. But behind the kitchen door, the speakers are still hot. The cooks are breaking down the line, scraping the night off the flat top, and talking about tattoos, used cars, and the cousin who botched their fade. The music is loud. It has to be. It’s the only thing keeping them upright.
This is the part of the restaurant no one sees. The part where the playlist matters more than the plating. Where music is not ambiance. It’s survival.
The Soundtrack of Survival
In a 2018 interview with Tucson Foodie, chef Adrian Castillo said, “We bump country. I play a whole lot of Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser, Luke Bryan... but when I’m in savage mode and its prep time or late at night deep cleaning, we will bump a lot of YG, 2 Chainz, Gucci, and of course all of the West Coast gangsta rap from the good ol’ days” (Tran, 2018)¹.
That’s not just a playlist. That’s a coping mechanism.
Music in kitchens isn’t curated. It’s claimed. It’s passed down. It’s fought over. It’s the only thing that makes the 14-hour shift feel like something you might survive.
Classic Rock: The Backbone of the Line
There’s a reason you hear AC/DC in every third kitchen in America. It’s not nostalgia. It’s propulsion.
AC/DC – “Back in Black”
Queen – “Don’t Stop Me Now”
Led Zeppelin – “Immigrant Song”
The Rolling Stones – “Gimme Shelter”
Aerosmith – “Sweet Emotion”
These songs are muscle memory. They’re what you play when you’re breaking down 30 pounds of onions and trying not to think about how your feet feel like bricks.
Banda, Norteño, and the Mexican Core
In kitchens across Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago, the music shifts. Banda Sinaloense. Corridos. Rancheras. These aren’t background tracks. They’re declarations.
Vicente Fernández – “Volver, Volver”
Banda MS – “El Mechón”
Los Tigres del Norte – “Jefe de Jefes”
Jenni Rivera – “Querida Socia”
Ramón Ayala – “Tragos Amargos”
These songs are about heartbreak, pride, and grit. They’re sung loud, off-key, and with tears in the eyes of cooks who haven’t seen their families in years. According to Pew Research, nearly one in four restaurant workers in the U.S. is Hispanic or Latino². This music is not a trend. It’s a tether.
Reggaeton, Salsa, and Spanish-Language Covers
Then there’s the rhythm. The hips don’t lie, even when they’re sore.
Bad Bunny – “Tití Me Preguntó”
Celia Cruz – “La Vida es un Carnaval”
Héctor Lavoe – “Periódico de Ayer”
Prince Royce – “Stand by Me” (Bachata)
“Hotel California” en Español
These tracks turn the dish pit into a dance floor. They make the mop bucket feel like a partner. They remind the crew that joy is still possible, even after 200 covers and a walk-in that smells like death.
Hip-Hop and the Hustle
For younger crews, hip-hop is gospel. It’s not just about the beat. It’s about the grind.
Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
Nas – “Made You Look”
Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage”
Outkast – “B.O.B”
21 Savage – “a lot”
These songs are about making something out of nothing. About showing up when no one expects you to. About surviving.
The Curveballs
Every kitchen has a wildcard. The guy who plays ABBA at full volume. The dishwasher who belts “Let It Go” in Spanish. The sous chef who insists on Celine Dion during breakdown.
ABBA – “Dancing Queen”
Selena – “Como La Flor”
Juan Gabriel – “Querida”
Celine Dion – “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”
No one questions it. Because in the kitchen, weird works. Weird is what gets you through.
Why It Matters
Music in the kitchen isn’t about taste. It’s about tempo. It’s about team. It’s about turning exhaustion into rhythm and chaos into choreography.
A 2023 article from Orders.co notes that music can influence not just mood, but the pace of work and even the perceived flavor of food³. Fast music speeds up service. Slow music slows it down. But in the kitchen, it’s not about manipulating guests. It’s about keeping the crew from falling apart.
Final Service
Ask any cook what song was playing during their hardest shift, and they’ll remember. Not the dish. Not the ticket time. The song.
Because in the end, the kitchen doesn’t run on gas or grit. It runs on rhythm.
#RestaurantLife #KitchenPlaylist #BackOfHouse #LineCookCulture #LatinMusic #ClassicRock #KitchenStories #CulinaryLife #FoodIndustryVoices #BehindThePass
Footnotes:
¹ Tran, Jackie. “We Asked Chefs: What Kind of Music Do You Play in the Restaurant Kitchen?” Tucson Foodie, Nov. 16, 2018.
² Pew Research Center. “Hispanic Workers in the U.S. Labor Force.” Pew Research, Sept. 2020.
³ Khachatryan, Sona. “Music and Dining: The Perfect Playlist for Your Restaurant.” Orders.co, Jan. 24, 2023.